Smithsonian Institution
Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
Curated OER
Aesthetics and Affect in Music from Around the World
Students explore traditional music of different societies around the world by listening to number of different musical recordings, discuss how music makes them feel, examine how music is central to cultural traditions, and compose short...
Curated OER
Thrilling Information: Music and Reading
Here’s a cross-curricular program music activity that uses Peer Gynt to engage class members. Groups take one section of “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” choreograph their section of the tune to represent the story as they imagine it,...
Curated OER
Indonesian Music
Explore the wonderful world of Indonesian music. The purpose, instruments, and terminology that help define Javanese music is outlined in this simple slide show. Tip: Adding musical examples would greatly enhance this resource.
Smithsonian Institution
Affirmation, Assimilation, and Acculturation: Middle School
Latin American culture is deeply embedded in American culture as a whole. From the Latin rock scene in San Francisco to the hip-hop world of New York, Latin American artists have influenced every genre of modern music. Learn about the...
Curated OER
Dance: Cultural Dance Festival
Students participate in a folk dance presentation. In this multi-cultural instructional activity, students and their families work together to learn and perform folk dances at a school sponsored festival. The teacher acts as facilitator,...
Quaver
World Percussion — Latin America Project Book
What's the most popular music style in Brazil? What about Cuba? Or the Dominican Republic? An immersive project teaches young learners about the salsa, the samba, and the merengue with research assignments and dance performances.
Curated OER
Four Immigrant Groups: Their Lives and Music
Fourth graders examine the experiences of four immigrant groups. Class members brainstorm a list of misconceptions of those groups and discuss if these perceptions are still present today. Using maps, groups locate the countries of...
Curated OER
The Mosaic School
Students complete activities to learn about world cultures. In this multicultural instructional activity, students define the terms diversity, culture, and mosaic. Students research their family's country of origin and complete...
Northern Nevada Council for the Social Studies
What Are the Origins and Influences of Rap Music?
Considered an American art form, rap has its roots in places from Jamaica to the Bronx. Using a series of readings, comprehension questions, and videos, scholars explore the history of rap and its connections to the African diaspora....
Curated OER
Indian Music
In this music instructional activity, students discover facts about India's musical history and culture. Students read informative paragraphs and answer 7 questions about India's history and music.
Curated OER
Let the Music Play
Students create auditory presentations on festivals and celebrations around the world. They begin by reading about how the New Orleans high school marching bands have overcome many obstacles to keep their music traditions alive. Then...
Curated OER
When a Country Loses Its Songs
Students explore music as a cultural tradition. In this global studies lesson, students consider the implications of the loss of childhood songs to a cultural group. Students determine the type of musical "treasures" that are part of...
Curated OER
200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Upper graders explore pop culture and pop music as a forum for female role models. They explore women who have currently contributed to our pop world and why they could be considered role models. They each interview a woman in their...
Curated OER
World Music Tour
In this music worksheet, students identify and describe what world music is and where it comes from. They also create words that start with "uni" meaning one. Finally, students practice reading and drawing the notes on the sheet.
Curated OER
A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues
Students examine the history of blues music and discover how it relates to the music of today. As a class, they listen to the drum songs of Africa and compare it to the use of drums in pop music today. Using the internet, they research...
Curated OER
Cultural Music Festival
Students participate in planning a multi-cultural community event. In this cultural music lesson, parents, community members, and teachers provide time, music, advertisement, and refreshments to create a community multi-cultural music...
Curated OER
Nureyev: After Petipa
Incorporating the arts into regular classroom practices isn't an easy task. Learners will research background information regarding Russian culture, history, and conflict then see how those things have applied to the rigors of Russian...
Curated OER
In Perfect Harmony: Teaching the World to Sing
First graders listen to music as the impetus to learn about the concept of Japanese harmony as it is understood in Japanese culture. They use the New Seeker's song, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing," to compare America and Japan...
Curated OER
Rock Art Around the World
Young scholars analyze rock art. In this rock art activity, students research cultures that created rock art, analyze their art pieces, and compose essays regarding their findings.
Curated OER
Elementary Music Plan
Hey Macarena! Third graders keep time while they sing a Latin Folk Song. To practice keeping a steady rhythm and singing in pitch, the class sings the Folk Song together and in a round while keeping a beat. They then learn to do the...
Curated OER
African Country Study and PowerPoint Presentation
Learners investigate the geography of Africa. In this African culture lesson plan, students research the lifestyles of African residents and create a PowerPoint presentation based on a single African country. Learners share their...
San Francisco Symphony
Prehistoric Music
What was music like during the Stone Age? Learners listen to a CD entitled, Art of Primitive Sound as they consider the culture of people in the Stone Age. They use objects found in nature to create instruments, and then perform a...
New Class Museum
Lesson: Elizabeth Peyton: Portraits: Androgyny in Contemporary Culture
Portraiture, artistic expression, romanticism, and androgyny are discussed in a thought-provoking lesson. Upper graders first discuss and examine the history of portraiture and the elements common to the Romantic style. Then they turn...